Air-heating apparatus.



A. E. JONES.

AIR HEATING APPARATUS. APPLIoATIoN FILED 00T. 14, 1910.

1 ,028,073. l Patented May 28, 1912.

COLUMBIA PLANoGnAPu C0..w/1sH1NGraN. n, c.

TNTTED STATES PATENT TTTQE.

ALBERT EDWARD JONES, OF FIUME, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY, ASSIGNOR T0 MESSRS. WHITEHEAD AND COMPANY, OF FIUME, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY, A CORPORATION.

AIR-HEATING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 28,1912.

Application filed October 14, 1910. Serial No. 587,026.'

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT EDWARD JONES, of Fiume, in the Empire of Austria- Hungary, engineer, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Air-Heating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the devices for injecting water into the hot combustion products in an air heating apparatus such as used in the propulsion of torpedoes, for example, that described in the specification of British Patent No. 3495 of 1905.

The water is drawn from the sea or if preferred from a reservoir by a pump, and forced into the combustion chamber or other chamber through which the combustion products pass.

The object of this invention is to automatically regulate the quantity of water forced into the hot combustion products, so that it always bears the proper proportion to the amount of fuel injected into and burned in the combustion chamber.

The accompanying drawing illustrates diagrammatically a device embodying the invention.

In this drawing a designates the pressure reducer serving to reduce the pressure of the air coming from the compressed air reservoir (not shown) to the pressure suitable for the motor, and b designates the pipe conducting the air at this reduced pressure to the combustion chamber c. The end at which the pipe o opens into the combustion chamber is restricted as shown at Z so tiat the pressure in the combustion chamber c may be somewhat lower than that prevailing in o and so that the fuel can be effectively injected therein.

The fuel reservoir e communicates at its upper part through a pipe f with the pipe which it crosses at a point g located above the restriction l and it is extended beyond g as shown at f. The bottom of this chamber c is connected by a pipe h with the injection nozzle z'. The combustion chamber o is provided with a baffle plate y'.

The apparatus as described above constitutes the ordinary air re-heater fitted to automobile torpedoes as shown in Patent No. 3495 of the 20th February 1905.

The means for regulating the quantity of water injected in accordance with the present invention comprises a pump 7c the shaft m of which is driven by the mo-tor of the torpedo. The suction is effected directly from the sea or from a fresh water reservoir through the sieve n; the delivery pipe t opens through an appropriate nozzle p into the combustion chamber o and comprises an air pocket 0 serving to insure uniformity in the delivery. Upon the pipe t there is mounteda cylinder g in which a piston o moves; the lower edge of this piston covers and uncovers orifices s, for the passage of water which communicates with the source of supply whether it be the sea or a fresh water reservoir. The upper part of the cylinder g is placedin communication with the pipe b by means of the extension f of the pipe f.

The operatlon 1s as follows: In normal running the lower face of the piston 1" is exposed tothe pressure prevailing in the pipe t (this pressure tending to force it upward) while its upper face is subjected to the pressure prevailing in the pipe b-f (this pressure tending to force itdownward) so that the piston floats,7 so to speak, in the cylinder g and assumes a position of equilibrium corresponding to the running condition.

If the pump ,7c tends to furnish at t a pressure greater than that existing in b and consequently to inject too much water into the combustion chamber o the excess pressure in the pipe t forces the piston r upward, thereby uncovering more or less of the orifices s and consequently forcing a certain quantity of water into the sea or into the fresh water reservoir. In this manner the quantity of water injected at p into the combustion chamber remains substantially constant.

If the pressure of the air upon the upper face of the piston r be modified intentionally by means of the pressure reducer av the piston will assume a fresh position of equilibrium uncovering or covering, to a greater or lesser extent, the orifices s and thus automatically regulating the pressure in the pipe t and consequent-ly the quantity of water passing through p suitably to the fresh method of running.

The pump 7c preferably comprises a number of cylinders so that it can furnish a constant stream or delivery and its dimensions are such that it delivers more water than is necessary for the injection.

' ering relatively little Water, thus keeping up the supply to the combustion chamber, even if the air chamber 0 is dispensed With. Having non7 particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that- What I claim is l. The combination of a combustion chamber, means for supplying thereinto a ,liquid fuel, an air pipe communicating with said means for the purpose of moving said fuel into said combustion chamber, said air pipe also communicating directly Wit-h said combustion chamber to support combustion therein, means for forcing Water into said combustion chamber, and a regulating device connected With said last-mentioned means and also connected to said air pipe and controllable by the joint pressure of the Water being forced into the combustion chamber and of the air in said air pipe for the purpose of relieving excess of Waterinto the combustion chamber.

pressure.

2. A device of the character described,v comprising a combustion chamber, a fuel` chamber for supplying liquid fuel there-f` into, an air pipe communicating with saidv combustion chamber and with said fuel` chamber, a Water pipe connected With saidv Water? thereinto, and a regulating device connected combustion chamber for forcing With said Water pipe and also With said air pipe, said regulating device comprising a cylinder provided With discharge openings and with a piston movable relatively to said openings and controllable by the joint pressure of Water in said Water pipe and air in said air pipe for the purpose of relieving excess of pressure in said Water pipe.

3. A device of the character described, comprising a combustion chamber, a fuel chamber for supplying a liquid fuel thereinto, an air pipe communicating With said combustion chamber and With said fuel chamber, a Water pipe discharging Water into said combustion chamber, a pump connected With the Water pipe, and means for discharging a portion of the Water from said pipe when the pressure of the Water therein exceeds the pressure of the air in the air pipe.

et. A device of the character described, comprising a combustion chamber, a fuel chamber for supplying liquid fuel to the combustion chamber, an air pipe communicating With the combustion and fuel chambers, a Water pipe for injecting Water into the combustion chamber, and means controlled by t-he air pressure in the air pipe for regulating the amount of Water injected In testimony whereof I have hereunto placed my hand at Fiume, Hungary, this twenty-seventh day of September, 1910.

ALBERT EDWARD JoNEs.

In the presence of two Witnesses- ATTILIO J. CLEMENTI, J osnr AUGUSZTIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

